Burdened No More
by FruutieFics
Summary: Fem!Reader is caught in the Forge Lands with Death, who leaves her there to learn a thing or two from the makers, while he takes care of business elsewhere. (May turn into a romantic fic, and the genre will change accordingly should it happen.)


Death picked you up and plunked you down on Despair's saddle.

"Now what makes you think I won't leave you here," he growled. His voice was low and gravely, and you'd be lying if you said you weren't intimidated. He leaned in now, palms on either side of your hips with his bare chest pressed firmly against your knees to keep you from squirming.

"I don't know what to think right now," you replied averting his blazing gaze by looking off to the side. You were of the bashful sort and this amount of closeness was unknown to you so it was only fair that you had to fight to keep your voice steady.

"Well, you'd better start thinking, or I'll reward your insolence by cutting out that tongue of yours. I don't care what information you might offer; I won't let you interfere with saving my brother," he spat. His voice was like venom being poured into your ears and you'd never been more scared.

Death had backed away now, turning on his heel as he left for Alya and Valus's forge. You looked after him, worried you'd angered the horseman for good. All you wanted to do was help him in his journey to prove his brother's innocence and from there find a way back to your dimension, but now he just wanted you gone. You should've know that Absalom was a tender topic from the original play through of the game and your reading of the Abomination Vault. Thanks be to Creation that he doesn't know you know about the latter of the two.

 _Damn that useless human! How did they know about the death of the nephilim in the first place, much less Absalom?!_ Death stomped up the steps to the makers' workplace grumbling insults in his ancient mother language.

"Rider? Come to help around the forge a little?" Alya turned away from watching her behemoth of a brother to face Death, "who's your new friend?" The giant redhead gestured vaguely in the direction of Despair and you.

"None of your business, now show me your wares, maker," the rider seethed.

Alya showed him all that she had to offer and in the end of the exchange Death bought nothing.

Instead he asked the following:"Tell me, maker: what do you know of child care?" Death had something in mind to keep you from annoying him any longer.

"As much as the next person, but why would you want to know that? You don't seem to be the family kind of man," Alya's interest was piqued.

 _Death sure did take his sweet time talking to Alya_ , you thought as he finally returned to Despair's side.

"Are we off then?" you kept your eyes lowered, still feeling ashamed from earlier at having upset him.

"Correction: _I_ am off. You are going to stay here with the forge siblings. You might be able to learn a thing or two from them, or maybe Thane can teach you to be useful on the battlefield. Better yet, try and learn some healing magic from Muria to keep yourself safe. I don't care what you do, just don't get into trouble and wait for me to return." Death was pawning you off on the Makers, and you weren't surprised in the least.

 _Maybe he just needs some time to cool off,_ you thought meekly as he pulled you off of Despair. His grasp was harsh and you winced at the small pain of his fingers digging into your sides as he lifted you. You hoped he wouldn't leave you here for good, but knowing his character for taking much of the necessary precautions whether or not they seemed morally sound led you to think he would. At least you'd be in good hands you thought.

Death swiftly took your place on the saddle and you'd barely taken a few steps from him when he'd taken off in a blur for the Tree of Life.

"Good luck, Death!" you called after him, but the pale rider hardly spared a glance backwards. You hoped he'd heard your good will to him, but he was probably too far away. That or he didn't care.

"Guess I'd better introduce myself," you sighed, turning in the forge's direction.

Quietly you walked toward the forge, glancing and staring about in amazement of the imposing stone architecture around you. You slowed to take in its beauty as you did with most of the world around you. _The grass is so green and vibrant here,_ you mused, _probably due to lack of pollution._ This world you knew was pretty impressive from what you'd experienced in your home on the TV screen, but actually being here made everything so much more amazing and grandiose.

"So, you're the Rider's pet, huh?" His voice was as gruff as you'd remembered from the time you spent playing the game, and you'd hardly noticed that you'd carried yourself right to the training grounds of the warrior maker, Thane.

"Ah, pet? N-no. Hardly a pet." You shuffled your feet back, yet again intimidated by the great stature of him: you barely came up to his knee. _I don't remember them ever being so big up close._

"Aye, if not a pet, then what are you?"

"W-well, I'm more of a guide like his crow, Dust, or something. I don't really know though, but for sure I am no one's pet. My name is (Y/N) and I'm not from this world."

Thane let out a thunderous guffaw and you flinched.

"Of course you're not from around here! Yer much too small!"

"Th-that's not what I meant, I mean-" but you were cut off by him laughing again at how small you were. This upset you greatly, but not enough to lash out.

"Aye, I've yet to laugh that hard in a long time, las," his laughter subsiding into light chuckling, "it looks like you're stuck here then since yer much too tiny to go off an' fight on you're own. By my beard I bet a wee dragonfly could pick you up an' just fly off with you!"

Thane hunched down to get a closer look at you and then smiled, taking in your unwavering glare.

"What is it?"

"That's the spirit of a warrior hidden deep in you."

You, a warrior? _Ha! I'm scared of the dark, and this guy thinks_ I'm _a warrior?!_ "Are you sure you haven't had one too many concussions?"

"HA!" Again, his sudden bark made you draw back, "no, las. I know the fire when I see it, and you have it, even if it may not be known to you."

"..I suppose, but what's the point in mentioning this at all? It's not like I can learn to defend myself by the time Death gets back: It'll be too little time." Already you were anxious as to what he was going to throw your way, but you knew that if you had a chance in all the nine realms to help Death, the opportunity was right here, right now in the hands of the mighty makers.

"Not to worry, las. We'll figure something out. In the meantime, let's get you some proper protection."

Thane stood back at full height and turned to Alya and Valus's forge, making long strides that you had to practically jog to keep up with. _Might as well do as Death says and learn something useful while I'm here…_


End file.
